


Adoption

by Aquilaaqua



Series: Keith Kogane-Wayne [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Pre-Voltron, post young justice s1, what if bruce adopted keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-08-26 14:31:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16683397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquilaaqua/pseuds/Aquilaaqua
Summary: Bruce knew that there is something about Keith that made the kid special. But he also understood what he was going through, which was why he decided to adopt him. However, he did not realize that Keith’s issues stemmed deeper than that. Set 1.5 years after YJ season 1, 5 years before VLD. Three-shot





	1. Bruce POV

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a Voltron and Batman story so I apologize in advance if the characters seem ooc.

The sun was high in the sky and the weather was pleasant to spend the day outside. And that’s what the children at the Kuriko foster group home were determined to do and make the most of their time outside playing. Kuriko Arata, the caretaker of the home, sighed contentedly as he watched the kids play a game of tag. He constantly flicked his eyes around the fence on alert in case some kidnappers decided to jump over and take one of the kids. The sad thing about living in Gotham is that you cannot let down your guard one bit, not even at the supposed safety of your home.

  His eyes drifted to the only boy not participating in the game of tag. Keith Kogane has only been here for two weeks and it was evident that he is a loner and short tempered. All the kids had tried to be friendly to him like Arata always instructed them to but gave up when it was evident that Keith was not reciprocating their friendliness. But Arata knew better. He had been in Keith’s shoes before. Keith did not trust anyone to let them in, in fears that they will reject him. And that fear manifested into his short temper and reserve attitude to push everyone away before they can hurt him emotionally.

  Arata sighed again, but this time in sadness. He had helped many of the kids that came under his care to come out of their shells and overcome their anger and hopelessness at their circumstances, but he was feeling a little lost with Keith. It was because of his reputation in handling the troubled kids that Keith’s social worker pushed for him to take him in. While Arata did not doubt his capability to bring Keith out of the walls he built up for himself, a part of him wondered if he was meant to be the one to do so. There was something about Keith that made Arata sense that he is special. As though he has a great destiny ahead of him.

  Before he could get far with his thoughts, a luxurious car pulled up in front of the home. Arata initially tensed until he recognized the car. Before the children noticed the car, he clapped his hands and jerked his head at the house. “Go inside for a short tea break. You all know where the biscuits and chocolate milk are.”

  The children abandoned their game and excitedly trooped inside for their midday break. Keith, he noticed, waited until everyone was inside before heading in, not before shooting Arata and the car a glance. Arata merely smiled and waved at him to go inside. Hesitantly, Keith obeyed though Arata noticed his eyes flickered back and forth at him before he entered the house.

  “New kid?” Bruce Wayne, Gotham’s richest man and secret protector, asked as he strode up the yard.

  “Yup.” Arata ran a hand through his hair. “So what brings you here today?”

  “Just wanted to personally pass you Noland and Connie’s education fund paperwork.” Bruce revealed a huge brown envelop from behind him.

Barely containing a smile, Arata gestured for him to enter the house. “My study.”

  Bruce followed him inside and they slipped upstairs while the kids were in the kitchen. At the top of the stairs, they encountered one kid though.

  “Keith? Why aren’t you downstairs with the others?” Arata folded his arms at the boy who was sitting quietly at the top of the stairs.

  Keith’s eyes widened at the sight of Bruce Wayne but snapped his eyes back to his caretaker at his question. He merely shrugged in answer. “I wasn’t hungry.”

  Arata pursed his lips but said nothing about it. Instead he and Bruce sidestepped Keith to get to Arata’s study.

“You’re not worried that he’ll tell the other kids about my presence?” Bruce asked as Arata locked the door and closed the window blinds.

  “I hate to say it, but Keith’s a loner and he won’t tell anyone because he doesn’t want to interact with the other kids.” Arata sighed.

  Bruce’s frown was prominent at that. There was a contemplative gleam in his eyes but Arata did not bother to point it out as they went through the paperwork.

* * *

 

  “…Noland and Connie will be able to access the funds once they enter college.” Bruce finished explaining the education trust fund to Arata who nodded, signing wherever needed. Once they were done, Bruce kept back all the papers and the contemplative gleam returned. This time, Arata decided to address it.

  “Here.” He pulled out a file from his cabinet and pushed it to Bruce. “Since you are curious about Keith, might as well let you see his file before you ask.”

  Bruce gave his friend a wry smile as he flipped open the file. “You sure that you can do that?”

  Arata raised an eyebrow at him. “I know that look in your eyes. It’s the same look you had when you asked me to help you arrange for Dick’s custody to you. You want to take Keith in.”

  “I can’t deny that.” Bruce shook his head as he read the file. The file stated that Keith is originally from Arizona and lived with his father who works as a fireman. He died when Keith was eight while trying to save people from a burning building.

  “The mother is not in the picture?” Bruce frowned.

  “No. I spoke with Keith briefly about it. He never knew his mother, said that his father told him that she left when he was a baby and he doesn’t know her name. So he was put in the system.” Arata scowled and thumbed through the pages of the file. “He was in and out of various foster homes for being a trouble child. They said that he was too quiet, distrustful and short tempered. Though in my opinion, it’s the foster parents who are not willing to give him the chance.”

 “You are one of the best foster parents because you are patient and willing to give a chance to all the kids who come under your care.” Bruce smiled. But it dropped as he read through the list of foster homes Keith stayed with in the past and the remarks that the foster parents left.

  Arata eyed him and tried to flip the pages. “I summarized it for you earlier. You can skip that part.”

  Bruce shook his head. “No, I need to read through the whole thing.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  One particular remarked made Bruce raise an eyebrow. “’Possessive of a dangerous weapon.’”

  “A knife that his father said is his mother’s. He never lets anyone touch it. I made it clear that he has to keep it sheath in his room at all times and only bring it out when I am around to supervise. In turn, I don’t confiscate it and not let the other kids touch it. He’s been compliant with that rule.” Arata explained.

  Bruce tapped his fingers on the table. “Can you tell me more about Keith, personality wise?”

  “He’s not like you or Dick, despite what you think.” Arata told him plainly. “His mother’s abandonment of him made him afraid of being rejected. And he witnessed his father run back into the building despite his pleads not to. These two incidents combined, and he feels like everyone close to him will abandon him sooner or later. And his defense mechanism against that is his temper and distance. He wants to push everyone away before they can turn their backs on him.”

  Bruce’s lips tugged downward further. “I want to speak with him.”

   It took some convincing but eventually, Arata reluctantly agreed. Bruce realized his friend was right to be concerned after briefly interacting with Keith only to be shut out when the topics drifted to potential adoption. From what little interaction with Keith that he had, he could tell that the kid very guarded against the possibility of letting someone close to him again like Arata told him.

  “Any regrets on taking interest in him?” Arata had asked when Bruce returned to the study after the failed attempt in conversing with Keith.

  “Hm, no.” Bruce shook his head. Strangely, he felt more determined to take the kid in than being deterred.

  Arata almost looked alarm at the admission. But he schooled his face. “Ok…and let’s say that you want to take the kid in, what about Dick and your you-know-what activities?”

  “Dick will probably need some time to get use to the idea, but I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. And he’s grown a lot since joining the team.” He felt safe to mention the team since it is very vague and could be referred as a team in school if anyone were to be eavesdropping. Bruce paused and thought carefully about his wishes for Keith regarding his secret vigilantism activities. “As for the you-know-what activities, I’m hoping that he doesn’t find out. I don’t think he will not feel the need to join in if what I gathered about him is correct. He doesn’t seem to be the kind of person who would stand up for injustice and will fight to protect people if needed.”

  “That’s correct.” Arata begrudgingly admitted. “He has a good heart and a good kid if not temperamental and distant. And I must confess that I hope that you do not drag him into your secret life like you _accidentally_ did for Dick.”

   Bruce knew that his friend is generous on the matter by not blaming him on the matter of Dick becoming Robin and emphasizing on the accidental part since it was partially true as Dick had accidentally found the Batcave and demanded to be Batman’s partner to put his family’s killer to justice.

 But he felt that Arata will not tolerate it if Keith became part of this. He may be the Dark Knight and one of the most feared member of the Justice League, but his friend can put the Joker to shame if he wanted to and mutilate Bruce if he intentionally pulled another kid into the dangerous life of vigilantism.

* * *

 

      When Bruce informed Alfred and Dick about his intentions to adopt Keith, there were mixed reactions. Alfred was understandably skeptic but nevertheless gave Bruce his blessings. Dick on the other hand was upset at first. But after a talk from Bruce that he will always have him as his father figure and that he gets to be a big brother for a change, Dick was all on board with the idea of having Keith as a brother.

  And so, by the end of that month, Keith Kogane became a member of the Wayne household.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keeping their vigilantism activities from Keith is not that hard, but it has its downsides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Initially, I thought I could fit everything I had in mind for Adoption in this chapter. But I was wrong. So this will be expanded into a three-shot.

  Keith stood in the foyer of the massive Wayne manor, unable to believe his so-called luck in being adopted by Bruce Wayne of all people. A frown found its way to his face. He could not understand why the man would adopt him after the cold shoulder he gave at the foster home when he spoke with him the first time.

* * *

 

  _“You’re Keith, right?” Bruce approached him where he was still sitting at the top of the stairs._

_He merely shrugged in answer, not knowing what to make of the man wanting to talk to him. He kept his gaze firmly on his shoes, not wanting to meet Bruce’s eyes._

_“Arata is an old friend of mine. He told me that you lost your father. I’m sorry about it.” The genuine sincerity in Bruce voice made him lift his head slightly, a scowl on his face._

_“It’s nothing, it’s been a long time.” He mumbled._

_“No, it isn’t.” Bruce grasped his shoulders firmly, forcing him to face him. “I know that losing a parent hurts and it’s not something you can easily get over, even after many years. But I promise that it will get better.”_

_Keith did not reply other than his scowl deepening. Bruce released his shoulders and leaned back. “I understand that you were passed along several foster homes, but how would you feel if you had a permanent one?”_

_Keith’s face instantly paled and jerked away from Bruce. Before Bruce could react, he ran down the hall and into a room, slamming the door loudly. Bruce sighed as he stared down the hall where Keith ran off. Arata was right. Keith is not open to the idea of having a new family because of his fear of abandonment. But maybe he could help him through that…hopefully._

* * *

 

  And yet, Bruce had went ahead and filled in the adoption forms for him, despite his social worker’s many protests. In the end, Arata went behind her back and helped Bruce quicken the process with the court. And boy was she mad. Their last encounter had her sneering at him, warning him that he will not last long in the Wayne household.

  “Don’t mind Ms. Fairweather’s words.” Bruce placed a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his reverie. “I’m not one who backs out on responsibilities to my family. And you are part of it now.”

  Keith hesitantly nodded and followed Bruce up to the second floor where they stopped in front of a door.

  “This will be your room. If you need anything, my study is down the hall and Dick’s room is next door. Or you can use the intercom in your room to call Alfred.”

  “Thanks.” As Keith turned the handle for the door, Bruce placed a hand on his shoulder. Glancing up at him warily, Bruce smiled warmly.

  “Welcome home Keith.”

  Keith blinked but returned the smile hesitantly. Maybe, it would not be so bad.

* * *

 

    Living in the Wayne Manor for a month, Keith barely saw Bruce and Dick which was less than strange. Considering Bruce’s position at his own company, it was probably normal for him not to be around often. And Dick had school but it was weird that he did not come back until it was late most of the time. And both Bruce and Dick often vanished at night but he did not bother to dwell on it. Alfred was nice and often tried to make small conversation with him.

  Whatever time Bruce and Dick were around was usually dinner time. And it was usually quiet on his side. Dick was the one who filled dinner with conversations. Sometimes, he would say weird words like ‘aster’ or ‘whelmed’ which made no sense. When he asked Bruce about it, he explained that Dick is Romani and English is not his native language. Hence his tendency to play around with words and their pre-fixes.

  Despite that, Dick is nice to him if not very energetic. He even promised to introduce him to his friends and hang out.

  Bruce on the other hand is a mystery. Keith had heard many things about him from both the media and Arata. After that day Bruce visited the home, he had asked Arata about the visit. He half expected Arata not to tell him but to his surprise, his former caregiver was honest with him.

Arata then explained that he and Bruce met at Arata’s former martial arts school in Japan where Bruce was trained alongside Arata by Arata’s former guardian. They became friends and kept in touch after Bruce went back to Gotham. When Arata moved here to set up the foster home, Bruce offered to sponsor the foster children’s future education funds privately in exchange for favors from Arata. What favors that his former caregiver would do for Bruce, he did not divulge. And Keith respected their desire for privacy. Clearly Arata did not want media attention on the children in his care which is why Bruce never publicly announced it.

In the media’s eyes, Bruce is a playboy billionaire who toned down his party habits after he took pity on Dick and took him in as his ward and eventually adopting him. At home, he was nothing but fatherly to him and Dick. But there was something strange about his nightly disappearance along with Dick. While it did not bother Keith, it became inconvenient on one certain night.

* * *

 

   Alfred had noted with a hint of worry one night when Keith declined to show up for dinner. The boy had shut himself in his room the whole day, barely eating his lunch and the old butler could have sworn his newest grandson’s eyes were bloodshot when he delivered his lunch to his room. When he asked about it, he was rebuffed and sent out. When he came by again to collect the tray, Keith had locked himself in the bathroom and left his lunch mostly untouched.

  “Alfred, did you call Keith down for dinner?” Bruce asked with a frown when he and Dick entered the dining room, noting his youngest son’s absence.

  “Master Keith said he was not feeling well and declined to join tonight.” Alfred leaned in and lowered his voice. “I believe he has been feeling distressed over something the whole day. And I suspect he was crying this afternoon.”

  Bruce’s frown deepened. This was concerning for in the month Keith lived with them, not once did the young boy act distress or cried at all. Deciding to check up on him, Bruce made to stand up but a buzzing in his pocket made him pause and checked his phone. He inwardly cursed at the bat notification.

  “Looks like we will have to skip dinner. There’s been a breakout at Arkham and the Joker and Penguin escaped.” He glanced over at Dick who nodded and they headed down to the Batcave.

  “What about Master Keith?” Alfred quietly asked as Bruce suit up.

  “I’ll check on him once we get back. Having two criminals on the streets is too dangerous.” Bruce grunted.

  Alfred’s eye twitched, indicating he was not pleased with Bruce’s decision to delay checking up on Keith. But the urgency of the situation demands the Dark Knight and his partner’s attention. Alfred can only hope that they came back safe and Bruce can find out what is wrong with Keith as soon as possible.

* * *

 

 Keith’s growling stomach was what finally prompted him to find something to eat despite not having much of an appetite. He sluggishly pushed himself off the bed and made his way down to the dining room. He frowned at the sight of the dishes all served but no one around. It was late so Dick and Bruce should have finished dinner by now. And Alfred should have cleared the table.

  His rumbling stomach reminded him of the reason why he came down in the first place. So he decided to have his late dinner first before tackling the mystery of where Dick, Bruce and Alfred are. Once he was done, he rested his chin on his folded hands, wondering where the rest of the house’s occupants could be.

 ‘ _Maybe they decided I am not worth the trouble. After all, everyone leaves me eventually.’_ A traitorous part of his brain suggested. Keith squeezed his eyes shut as he banished the thought just as it came. Bruce promised to not send him back to the homes. But so did the parents of his third foster home. And they eventually got tired of the problem child so they sent him away.

  _‘I was not good enough. I will never be good enough.’_ The same dark part of his brain thought. Once again, Keith tried to eras those thoughts but he could not.

  “Calm down Keith. You don’t know for sure if they left you. You need to find them.” Keith muttered to himself and shakily stood up, deciding to search the manor from top to bottom.

Alas, after searching for a whole hour led to nothing. Keith was trying his best not to panic but failing. Stumbling into the library, he sank into the couch, giving up on his search.

_‘It’s hopeless. They really left me alone. They don’t want me anymore.’_

  It was too much. To be alone on this very day…Keith broke down into sobs, burying his face in a cushion. Today was just to painful for him. And he knew he made it worse by isolating himself. But he didn’t want to be alone anymore. Yet, everyone in the house was avoiding him.

* * *

 

  “We will be returning now Alfred.” Batman’s grave voice informed the butler from his position at the monitor.

  “Very well. I hope I do not have to set up the medical bay tonight.”

  “No major injuries. Just the usual scrapes and bruises.” Robin chimed in. “Which is strange considering who we were up against.”

  “I would not look a gift horse in the mouth. Just be grateful that you are coming home unharmed tonight.” Alfred pointed out shrewdly.

  “How is Keith? Did you check on him?” Batman asked despite not the appropriate time to do so with his Batman personal on. But concern and worry for his son overrode that for the time being. Dick was quiet as he contemplated an idea for Keith’s behavior. Instantly, he knew Bruce had a good reason to be worried for his younger brother.

  “I have not had the chance to do so. Should I look up on him now?”

  “Please do.”

  Alfred pulled up the footage of the cameras in the house. He soon found Keith in the library but narrowed his eyes as he took in the boy’s hunched figure and trembling shoulders. Pursing his lips, he got up.

  “Master Bruce, I need to see to Master Keith right now. I advise you to return immediately and meet me in the library.”

  It was quiet on Batman’s side but eventually he gave an affirmative and Alfred took off for the library.

  “Master Keith?” He poked his head in.

  Either Keith was too tired to respond, or he did not register that Alfred was approaching. He jumped when Alfred touched his shoulders.

  “Are you alright, Master Keith?” Alfred asked softly.

  Keith only shook his head. Alfred waited for a minute and sat down beside him. He waited for Keith to gather his thoughts and tell him what was bothering him.

  “Today is the day my dad died five years ago.” Keith finally managed to force out. Alfred went still beside him but once he started, Keith could not stop. “I came down and no one was around. I searched the whole manor but…I could not find anyone. I was so scared and felt alone!”

  “I am sorry, Master Keith.” Alfred quietly apologized. If he had known what today meant for Keith and how he was feeling, he would not have stayed in the Batcave. “Master Bruce and Master Dick had…some urgent matters coming up tonight that they had to leave. I am so sorry that we were not here for you tonight.”

  Keith did not have the energy to respond. Instead, he curled up further into a ball and pressed against the couch. Alfred sighed, guessing what was going on in the boy’s mind and wished that Bruce would come back soon.

* * *

 

  Keith was dozing off when he felt a hand too large to be Alfred’s on his shoulder, gently shaking him awake. Blinking up wearily, Keith realized it was Bruce and he ducked his head in a combination of relief, fear, and bemusement.

  Bruce sat down beside him and rubbed his shoulders. “Alfred told me what this day meant to you. I’m so sorry I was not here for you.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You’re going to send me back anyway.” Keith shook his head.

  Bruce frowned and placed his hand under Keith’s chin, forcing the boy to look at him. Keith gulped and was taken aback by the intense emotions behind his eyes.

  “Keith, please understand. You are part of my family now. Nothing is going to separate us or make me send you away. I promise.” Bruce finished his speech with pulling Keith into an embrace. Keith squeezed his eyes tightly.

  “Everyone promised that. But they broke it anyway. I was never good enough for them, not even my dad or my mom.”

  “That’s not true. I’m sure your dad loved you very much.”

  “If he did, he would have stayed with me and not run into that building.” Keith said softly. Bruce sighed softly. He understood what Keith felt with the loss of his father. But he also understood from a hero’s point of view why Keith’s father chose to sacrifice himself to save the people in the burning building. But Keith was not in the right emotional state to hear that. Instead, he pulled Keith closer.

  “My parents were killed before my eyes.” Bruce found himself saying. “They were shot by a mugger.”

  “Oh.” Keith could only say.

  “I understand what you are going through now. And I know that the world let you down many times that you don’t want to believe me. But please give me…give us a chance to prove that you are not alone.”

  Keith inhaled sharply but slowly nodded. Bruce breath out and glanced at the door where Alfred nodded.

  “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.” Bruce hoisted Keith up. As he passed Alfred, he gave his faithful butler a grateful nod. “Everything is set up?”

  “Yes, Master Bruce. Master Dick is waiting for you upstairs.”

  “Alright Alfred. Get some rest. Good night.”

  “Good night.” Alfred bowed courteously and headed off to his room. Bruce carried the exhausted Keith up to his room. Dick was already asleep on the couch. After settling Keith on the bed, Bruce woke Dick up and led him to the bed. Once he was sure that both boys were asleep, he got ready for bed and settled down at the empty side of the bed.

  Dick cracked his eyes open and smiled at Bruce. It was a long time since they had sleepovers like this. In the past, he often slept in Bruce’s room when he initially came to the manor. Nightmares of his family’s fall and thunderstorms were the main reason. But in recent years, the frequency of the sleepovers dwindled down as Batman and Robin were needed more than ever and the establishment of the Team. Now though, hopefully there will be more opportunities for this with Keith around.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Barbara figure out Batman and Robin's identities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not watched S8 of Voltron yet but I may not be including the season into this AU. It is not 100 percent confirmed yet. But I just feel depressed by what I learned about the season and I have a hard time dealing with angst in the show.  
> Anyway, the next part will be Brothers and focus on Keith and Jason learning to be brothers, Jason's transition to Robin and his death.

   Weeks passed after Keith’s breakdown and he felt closer to Bruce and Dick now. Bruce had opened up further about his parent’s death and how it made him the person he is today. He also admitted that it was because of this that prompted him to take in him and Dick. Keith managed to figure out the implied hints that Dick also lost his parents in a similar way as Bruce’s. But as per his nature, he did not pry, and he got the feeling that Dick was grateful for it.

  During the time of his stay in the Wayne Manor, he was introduced to Dick’s best friends Barbara, who is the commissioner’s daughter, and Wally. Keith found himself preferring Barbara’s company over Wally’s as he and Barbara shared a love in reading and he found that it was easier to talk to Barbara than Wally since the energetic boy preferred spending time with Dick. And eventually, they introduced him to Dick’s friends at Happy Harbor which Keith often wondered how Dick came to know them. Especially since more often than not, they acted weird. And that’s when Keith and Barbara decided to dig deeper into Gotham’s most elusive duo, Batman and Robin.

* * *

 

It all started when Dick had somehow convinced Keith to join the group for a party at the beach at Happy Harbor. Keith found himself wondering about the group as they act as though they wanted to say something but stopped themselves because him or Barbara were around.

  “They are so weird.” Keith muttered to Barbara who nodded in agreement. Megan was saying something about her uncle John and slipped up when she mentioned something about missions. Artemis jumped in and changed the subject to archery but that was quickly disregarded when the topic swerved to Green Arrow and his protégé who happens to share her name. Then Dick and Wally caused a massive water fight to halt the conversation. After that, everyone forgot about what they were talking about earlier, except for the both of them.

Then Keith spotted Zatanna and Raquel standing a little further away. Zatanna opened her mouth to say something. But when the first word spilled out of her mouth, Raquel instantly clapped her hand over her mouth, preventing her from saying more. Keith raised an eyebrow. He was far away that he could not hear what Zatanna said but from the looks of it, it was not something that Raquel wanted him or Barbara to hear based on the way her eyes briefly flicked at their direction.

    “What do you think they are hiding?” Keith mused.

    “Who knows.” Barbara shrugged with a small frown. “But I have a hunch. It may have something to do with Batman.” She raised an eyebrow at Keith who only shrugged in return.

  “I have no idea.”

* * *

 

  Keith was not stupid as to not realize that Dick and Bruce were hiding something. Their suspicious behavior in leaving at night and lengthy disappearance that sometimes span for weeks. And though they tried to hide it, Keith noticed that they moved funny, like they were trying to conceal injuries. Suddenly, Barbara’s hunch about Batman, Dick and Bruce did not seem so absurd anymore.

    He said as much to Barbara the next time she invited him out to the library. Dick was not around as usual and Alfred and Bruce are on a day trip out of Gotham and will not be back for dinner. Not wanting Keith to be alone for the rest of the day, Bruce had asked Barbara to spend the day with him under the pretense of tutoring Keith in Math. But Keith knew that this was Bruce’s way of expressing that he is concern over Keith’s loneliness and afraid of a repeat of his first breakdown in the Manor.

  It was fine with the both of them as they enjoy each other’s company and they can talk freely in the library. They selected a secluded table where they don’t have to worry about people eavesdropping. Textbooks and papers were scattered around but both teens’ attention was now focused on Barbara’s laptop. A word document with their theories and notes on Batman and Robin’s identities. Barbara has been working on this for a while for reasons unexplained but has not been making much progress. Now that she has Keith helping her out now, she believes that is about to change.

  “I knew you would agree with me. Theory 1: Dick Grayson is Robin.” Barbara muttered with a small smirk. “Proof of that, Dick was showing off an acrobat move to Artemis that Robin sometimes uses.” She typed it out and added two video clips under it. One was showing Robin flipping around rooftops and the other had Dick and Artemis at the back of the school yard. Out of boredom, Dick was doing several flips similar to Robins.

  “How did you get that clip?” Keith asked curiously about the second clip.

  Barbara blushed deeply as she adverted her gaze. “I was curious about what Dick and Artemis do when they hangout.”

  “You know that Artemis is dating Wally, right?” Keith smiled wryly. “So there’s no need to be jealous of her.”

  “Why would I be jealous of her?!”

  “Shh!”

  Barbara winced at the librarian’s reprimand when she accidentally raised her voice. She glared darkly at Keith who was suppressing his chuckles. “Stop laughing!” She hissed, shoveling him.

  “Alright, alright.” Keith managed to get his chuckles under control. “So what else do you want to add in as proof?”

  “I don’t have anything else to add.” Barbara said sourly. “What about you?”

  Keith thought back to a few nights ago where Robin was reported to have been fighting an armed thug. Not one of Gotham’s more dangerous villains, but still dangerous. Based on the security feed that Barbara hacked (Keith was definitely not going to ask why and how she hacked the security cameras), the thug managed to get in a lucky hit and sliced Robin’s upper arm. Keith recalled that the next day, he saw bandages peaking out under Dick’s T-shirt sleeves right where the thug had slashed Robin.

  “Put similar injuries as Robin.” He suggested. Barbara nodded and typed that in.

  “That’s all we got for Robin. If we confront him with these facts thought, I doubt they will stand. They are mostly circumstantial, and we need solid proof if we want Dick to admit that he’s Robin.” Barbara frowned.

  “I’m sure that we’ll get the chance now that we know what to look for.” Keith smirked.

* * *

 

    After that day, Keith began to closely observe Bruce and Dick. The more he watched them, the more certain he was that they were Batman and Robin. He was also sure that Alfred was in on it since he also vanished into Bruce’s study whenever they went out. As much as he wanted to confirm his suspicions with them, he held his tongue. He was still fearful that Bruce might send him away one day. And if he really is Batman, he might send Keith away for finding out an important secret. Or worse, if he is not Batman, he may think that Keith is delusional and kick him out. Either way, Keith was going to keep his mouth shut. If Barbara wants to ask either of them, he was not going to stop her. But he was going to make sure that she does not mention that he has any part of it.

  What he did not expect was that all of Barbara and his suspicions to be confirmed with the debut of Nightwing. You see, even before Keith was brought into the Wayne family, Dick and Bruce were having trouble with their Batman and Robin dynamics. Sure they still worked well together as a Dynamic Duo, but outside of that, things have been tense between them. When Keith joined the family, there was some sort of truce created temporarily for Keith’s sake. But now, the tension is back and it escalated to the point where Bruce and Dick started arguing frequently. And Keith and Alfred are worried about them.

  “Bruce keeps on pushing me away!” Dick grumbled to Keith after another nasty argument. After storming off, he barged into Keith’s room and started pacing and complaining while Keith tried to do his homework. Unfortunately for Keith, he was not making progress with it as his irritation at Dick’s disturbance grew.

  “I don’t get it. We used to be so close. But now, it’s like he doesn’t want me to be around anymore. I try doing what I usually do but it just seems to make him more upset.” Dick flopped on the bed.

  “I don’t think that Bruce actually means it that way.” Keith sighed as he shut his exercise book, resigning himself to not being able to focus on his work if Dick is around. “Have you talked to him about it?”

  “I tried…”

  “ _Properly_ I mean, without screaming at him?” Keith raised a pointed eyebrow.

  Dick only sighed. “I don’t know how we got to that point.”

  “Ask him to explain the reasoning behind his actions. Arata used to say that Bruce doesn’t know how to express his feelings well, so his words and actions are easily misunderstood.” Keith suggested. “Maybe he wants you to take a new approach in tackling whatever problems you two are facing.”

    Dick hummed and nodded. “Alright. I’ll talk to him again.”

* * *

 

  “I am 100% sure that Dick is formerly Robin now Nightwing.” Keith announced to Barbara when he visited her later that week.

  Barbara raised a skeptical eyebrow. “How did you know that?”

  Keith then explained about Dick and Bruce’s growing distance which caused many arguments between them. Barbara wince at the mention of that as she knew how close Dick and Bruce are. To hear that they are having fights was worrisome. But Keith reassured her that they stopped after he convinced Dick to clarify Bruce’s actions and words that led to the distance in the first place.

  “Ok…But what does that have to do with Dick being Robin and Nightwing?”

  Keith grinned mischievously. “Because, Robin stopped showing up when Nightwing appeared. And their movements and fighting styles are the same. I don’t think they are actively hiding that Robin is now Nightwing. But at the same time, the arguments between Brcue and Dick stopped when Nightwing showed up. Dick even thanked me for giving him a new idea for a new approach.”

  Barbara blinked but her mouth fell open when she realized what Keith was implying. “Bruce and Dick were arguing with each other because Bruce knew that Dick had outgrown Robin and wanted Dick to move on to a new more mature identity.”

  “And based on all that, we can conclude that Bruce is Batman.” Keith added.

  Barbara nodded with a growing smirk. “So should we go ahead and reveal that we know that they are Batman and Robin?”

  “You could. But I’m not.” Keith shook his head.

  “Why not?”

  “I’m fine with them not knowing that I know. Besides, it’s funnier this way.” Keith lied though the last part is half true.

  Barbara giggled and nodded. “OK, I can’t want to see the look on Dick’s face when he realizes that you know his secret identity.”

  They hashed out a few ideas that they can use for Barbara to mess with Dick as she did the big reveal. And as the time came for Keith to return to the Manor, he decided to ask Barbara the question that was on his mind.

  “What made you decide to investigate Batman and Robin’s identities.”

  Barbara paused and slowly smirked. “Let’s just say that there will be a new Bat on the streets, but it will be a girl this time. And she wants to have some leverage so that Batman wouldn’t tell the Commissioner who is behind her mask.”

  Keith stared at her with his mouth agape. “You’re not-!”

  “Yes I am.”

* * *

 

  After that visit, Dick started acting strangely by hitting his head on the wall and Bruce was frowning, upset at something. And Batgirl hit the streets not long after that. Dick hit his head harder, Bruce frowned sourly, and Alfred made more tea. Keith found it hilarious and shared as much with Barbara who giggled with glee.

  But all in all, the dynamics and relationships between everyone in the Wayne household was stabilized and stronger than ever…until the day Batman brought Jason Todd back.


End file.
